Apple will hold a special event on March 4, but start announcing new products on March 2. | Image by MacRumors
While Apple has been kind (or smart) enough to not try to steal Samsung's thunder this week, the newly unveiled Galaxy S26 family will most likely get some fresh Cupertino-made competition (of sorts) in just a few days.
This was very credibly rumored a few days ago, but if there's one person I trust more than Bloomberg's Mark Gurman to have inside knowledge of Apple's product launch plans, that's definitely Tim Cook.
What to expect from Apple's "big week ahead"
Obviously, Apple's CEO is not ready to share any information on the identities of the devices officially slated for announcements next week, but somewhat surprisingly, Tim Cook was generous enough to confirm the "start" of the product onslaught ahead will be "Monday morning" (presumably, Pacific Time).
That's Wednesday, mind you, so either Apple plans to keep the more exciting product announcements for later in the week, or March 4 will be the day when all new devices are showcased together to a select audience of journalists and influencers.
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What upcoming Apple product are you most excited about?
Said new devices are widely expected to include the affordable iPhone 17e we've all been waiting for since... the rather underwhelming iPhone 16e was unveiled back in February 2025, an upgraded iPad Air duo with M4 processing power, a 12th Generation non-Air iPad likely to pack an Apple A18 chipset, and a whole slew of refreshed MacBooks.
What not to expect from next week's multiple Apple announcements
Firstly and most obviously, there's a zero chance the company will actually unveil a true ultra-high-end alternative to Samsung's new Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra.
But if the iPhone 17e does end up borrowing the Dynamic Island design and Apple A19 processor from the "vanilla" iPhone 17 while retaining its predecessor's $599 starting price, this could prove a very real danger for not just the similarly affordable Galaxy S25 FE, but Samsung's base Galaxy S26 as well.
The iPhone 17e might resemble the iPhone 17 in a few key ways, but only sport one rear-facing camera. | Image by PhoneArena
Of course, the 17e is virtually guaranteed to settle for a single rear-facing camera, but its overall value proposition might still prove irresistible for millions of hardcore Apple fans... who can't afford an iPhone 17 or 17 Pro.
It's obviously also far too early for the iPad Pro (2025) duo to receive a sequel, so that's clearly out of the question next week, and as far as the iPad (2026) and iPad Air (2026) are concerned, design revisions are probably not in the cards either.
That could lead us mobile fanatics to pay significantly more attention than usual to Apple's new laptop family, which is likely to include a completely reimagined low-cost MacBook with as little as 128GB storage, an A18 Pro chip inside, and a number of other compromises over the cheapest current model in this product portfolio that will reportedly push the starting price down to $699 or less.
How excited should you be?
Well, I'm not exactly what you'd call an Apple fanboy, but that rumored price point sure sounds compelling for the new base MacBook, and I'll probably take a look at the company's refreshed MacBook Air and Pro lines too to see if they fit my budget and if their improvements over their already great forerunners are substantial enough.
Because I'm a PhoneArena writer, however, the iPhone 17e still looks like the most exciting product on this slate for me, and I definitely hope that Apple will start its "big week ahead" by unveiling this thing on Monday to stop me from obsessing over whether or not the handset will cost $599 with a "modern" Dynamic Island screen cutout.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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